Snow Drift
by LadyBaSingSe
Summary: Tokka OneShot. Toph runs away into the frozen tundra and discovers what it's like to forgive and forget.


**A/N: I love aangst, but I love fluff waaay more. So... I gave birth to this shiny little penny I call Tokkaness! So... Tokka...**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it. **

--

Snow Drift

"Say it."

He gave her a guilty look. She couldn't see it, but she knew him well enough to know she'd put him in his place.

"Just spit it out. What. Were. You. Going. To. Say?"

"Forget it. I'm going to help Katara unpack. She's probably getting nothing done knowing Aang's in the house. So... I'll just..."

"If you take one step toward that doorway, I swear I will unleash upon you what the spirits wouldn't _dare_."

Her voice was bitter, but the hints of drowsiness hit the phrase in certain distinct areas. Toph Bei Fong hadn't slept in nearly fourty-eight hours. She was stewing in anger and had been for several days. A kind of anger that tore at her heart and forced her to see a side of herself she never knew existed. Thinking she simply needed to cool off, she hit the rocks, but earthbending only deepened her depression, as well as her livid mood.

"Toph... Can we just pretend this conversation never happened?" he asked, relaxing his shoulders in defeat. He desperately needed a break from this. Constantly, they were fighting. Day in, and day out. Over the littlest things.

"After you tell me what you were going to say, I'm sure this oh so _lovely_ conversation will be over."

She even shocked herself with the spite she threw at him, and when she felt his heartbeat speed up indefinitely, her body tensed. She loathed being angry at him. _Loathed _it. But she found no other way to deal with the dagger he jammed right into her heart three moons ago.

He leveled his voice.

"Why do you insist on being this person? You're supposed to be my best friend. You're supposed to help me get ready for this stage of my life. You're supposed to be cheerful and excited and happy. But, you're not. I just don't understand."

"You don't _understand_?" she asked, sickness still swarming her tone. He looked at her through tired eyes as she grasped the arms of her chair with white knuckles and flaming red cheeks. "You _don't understand_?!"

Sokka merely shook his head and brought his vision to his feet.

"No. No, I don't."

At these words, Toph stood very quietly, slowly walked toward him and froze, a foot from his body. He almost took a step back, in fear of the inevitable punch to the gut, but instead stood his ground and watched as the red of her cheeks disappeared. Toph's whole aura shifted from angry to meloncholy in a very short amount of time, but she didn't move or say a word.

The water tribe warrior gave a low, solemn hum as he released a breath he didn't know he held. And she remained.

"You don't... understand?" she asked once again, her voice soft and tranquil—somewhat pained.

He shook his head again, in both honesty and regret.

As it entered her brain that he really had no idea—not a single clue in the slightest—she looked down in order to cover her face with her bangs so she could cry in peace.

"For the longest time, I thought it would pass. We've always been so... close. She doesn't deserve you."

Silence.

"Don't you get it, Meathead?! You're choosing _her_ over _me_!"

Toph grasped her sides with her arms crossed over her chest and pushed him out of the way, charging into the next room on a light foot. She convieniently dodged both Katara and Aang on her way out the door and propelled herself out into the icy cold where her feet could barely pick up the slightest sense of direction. Almost instantly, they were numb, though she didn't care. She didn't need to see to know she had to get away. Facing Sokka right now, or ever again, would end her.

The earthbender heard voices from all sides. Three girls were gossiping by a merchant attempting to sell worldly goods. A man was talking outloud as he passed her, but by the direction his words carried on the wind, he was too wrapped up in what he was saying to even acknowledge the green-eyed fourteen-year-old. Several others were chattering about, but not once did she stop to focus on the details.

The snow and ice ground was harsh through her light boots considering the supreme sensitivity of her feet. Snaking around a sharp turn, she soon realized she was out of the heart of the Southern Water Tribe and on her way to safety, or at least, what she deemed so.

It was hard to think about what really just happened and what had been going on for almost two and a half years. Sure, she cared for him, but did it need to be this dramatic?

Well, it was too late now.

"Young lady?" the earthbender heard a man question as she cascaded across the whiteness. She ignored his calls and merely retraced her steps in her head, remembering all too well how she got to the large ice home in the first place.

Soon enough, she would be free.

--

It was dark.

Or, maybe it wasn't dark.

But, it was cold. Definitely cold.

The black-haired girl was curled up on the ground in a small, remote cave on the face of a hill. It was a location probably two miles from the main city, but it no longer mattered. She didn't expect to be found. Not ever again.

The whole right side of her jade green parka was coated in a thick snow. By now, it was like a soft blanket to lounge on rather than the painful ice it really was. She was no longer shivering and her body was more relaxed than it had ever been, but not a drop of energy remained in the frail body.

And suddenly, her mind began to place their tricks upon her. He was everywhere.

"Toph!" he would shout, over and over again until the word blended into itself and vanished. He was just a blur. A blur upon the fierce, ruthless terrain she attempted to control.

"Toph!"

Only his voice. Only him.

That's all she ever wanted.

Footsteps. A surprised gasp.

Toph lay still, her hair messily across her face and neck, sprawled upon the ground, eyes shut, arms without the strength to protect her.

Helpless.

"No."

The young warrior screeched her name and it swam far on the breeze, echoing twice with as much force as the first. He collapsed to his knees.

"You _idiot!_ You _stubborn_, _mental_, _moronic woman!" _he yelled, picking her silent body up from the ground. He shook his head strong and quick, the urge to slap his forehead prominent in his mind.

She opened her eyes to only slits and gave a weak smile.

"Y-y-you... c-ca... came..."

"Toph?" Sokka whispered, his anger gone, but only momentarily. He smiled hopefully at her, but as soon as it appeared, it was gone.

"How _DARE_ you do this to me!! I was worried_ sick!_"

"S-S-Sokka... I..."

"Shut _up!_ Shut up! Shut up! Shut _UP!"_

The boy looked down at her as he walked and pressed his teeth together hard. He clenched a fist under her body and when he released it, he let go of the anger as well.

"Shut up..." he said in a tone almost inaudible. "You might... strain yourself..."

They walked back in silence, Toph dozing off several times, for her body was exhausted. He kept his eyes on her always, making sure her chest was still moving up and down, even in the slightest.

--

Toph sat up.

So fast, in fact, her whole body disapproved and she felt it everywhere. She opened her eyes, but even they hurt.

"I ended it," she heard. "I ended it. And I was mean. I didn't try to, but I was."

"Wha--"

"I ended it and I told everyone to leave. Even Katara."

"Sokka?"

"It's over."

Quiet fell upon them as he stared at her. Her face was pale as a ghost and her charcoal locks were disheveled, spraying in every which way. Toph's lips had lost so much color they were nearly white and thick purple bags sat under her eyes. Even her throat was affected, for her voice was hoarse and she coughed all through her sleep.

Though, there was a beauty in her he couldn't put a name to. If someone had told him he was going to fall in love with her two days ago, he probably would've laughed.

But now, it was like nothing ever made more sense.

"Why?" she inquired after what seemed like hours.

He chuckled.

"Don't you get it, Toph? I'm choosing _you_ over _her_."

Parting her lips, no words came out. She merely tilted her head in wonder and ran her fingers through the front of her hair. He left the bedside chair and crawled next to her, staring straight into her unseeing eyes.

He watched her for a moment's time, but then leaned in to kiss her.

"Why?" she asked again, his face centimeters from hers. He raised an eyebrow, and even though she could feel his breath upon her, she didn't move.

"My whole life," he started, his lips brushing hers as he slowly spoke, "I've had this issue with thinking things through. Some things... just come naturally. But others... I get so caught up in, I forget the important things. Toph. I'm not about to let the most important thing slip through my fingers because I was too dumb to make her my priority."

She smirked, brought her arm up, and slugged him hard in the shoulder.

"OW!," he yelped, retracting away from her. "What was that for?!"

The smile remained plastered on her face and she grinned even wider.

"Being cliche. And romantic."

Sokka glared at her.

"What?" she questioned. "It was sweet." Toph paused and her smile faded. "What are you doing? You can kiss me, now."

"Great joy."

Although his words were flooded with sarcasm, he beamed as he leaned in to kiss her and found out _exactly_ what he had been missing all that time.


End file.
